If you skip the cookies, buy some fresh fruits and make fruit bowls to serve at the end of the meal, as a dessert course. Depending on the brand, sometimes ground ginger is also added. You can also use rotisserie chicken to change it into chicken fried rice. Below is a list of common items used in the recipes in this book.

Get the wrapping and cooking done a day ahead by wrapping these rolls without baking. Her favorite foods are dumplings, ramen, and tacos, usually with hot sauce on the side.

If you skip the asparagus and would like to add some veggies to your meal, add a handful of baby spinach to your egg drop soup at the end of cooking. Vegetarian oyster sauces are flavored with mushrooms. Buy sesame oil that is sold in glass bottles, because plastic makes oil become rancid more quickly. They should be soaked before use and the strands separated.

Sichuan peppercorns may look like the red version of black or white peppercorns, but they are actually tiny berries. Just like ordering takeout food in Chinese restaurant, we serve fried rice and egg drop soup on the side. They have an earthy aroma and contribute an umami flavor that is prized in Chinese cooking. The best types of tofu to use for stir-frying and braising are firm or extra firm.

Sometimes called rice stick noodles, they can be used for stir-fries as well as soups. Here is how to prepare these aromatic ingredients as called for in the recipes. In addition to writing and photography, Diana has taught cooking classes for the past ten years in both Beijing and New York. It can be stored in the crisper bin of the refrigerator for up to a week.